Independence Day

I confess that I am someone who has never been that into Independence Day. Aside from the fact that dogs and fireworks are quite often a terrible combination, I have long been of the opinion that Americans are generally far too fixated on independence. We have this Lone Ranger idea of self- sufficiency that all too often turns into independence as a kind of Ayn Rand “what is best for me personally is by definition the best thing.” I have preached on the need to focus on interdependence rather than independence more than once.

I’m still a big fan of interdependence, but this year I’m putting in a plug for Independence Day. Because it turns out that a whole lot of people, most especially Republicans in Congress, are unwilling or unable to think or act for themselves. They have just passed an utterly horrific budget bill that they know will cause untold harm. Some of them, like Lisa Murkowski, said it out loud. Some said it in private. But they got in line behind the bully in the bully pulpit.

So maybe this would be a good moment to consider, just for a bit, what it means to maintain independence of thought, independence of speech, independence of action as authoritarianism closes in. The whole Trump mystique depends on accepting what you are told, despite all evidence to the contrary. The economy is doing great! Other than, you know, jobs down, GDP down, gas and grocery prices…not down. Iran’s nuclear program is totally obliterated! OK, set back a couple of months, but don’t you dare say that out loud. We’re getting rid of dangerous criminals by deporting them and/or locking them away! Pay no attention to the fact that fewer and fewer of the people getting grabbed up have any criminal record, and that the percentage of violent offenders is in the single digits. Climate change isn’t real! I mean, sure the hurricanes and droughts and floods and fires and heat dome events come faster and faster, but if we get rid of FEMA then we can maybe not notice.

It is painful to watch, and even more painful to feel powerless to stop it. One of the hardest things for any being is to feel out of control, to be without agency. So this Independence Day, maybe give some thought to the ways, however tiny, that you exercise your own independence. Research (from reputable sources!) before you believe what you read. Ask people to explain why they think what they think. Love who you love, whether or not others approve. Wear what you like, whether or not others approve. Say what you think—respectfully, but without the need for others to agree. Find the moments, the activities, the communities, in which you feel free, authentic, empowered. Lean into those moments, those people, those possibilities. We’re going to need them. We’re going to need you.